Though it would take only a couple of minutes, I found this exercise quite annoying. After all, we are living in 2018 – the age of automation. Since choosing the preferred Wi-Fi network is not a built-in Android feature, I started scouring the Internet for effective ways to automate this task. As luck would have it, I landed on just the right solution, thanks to the array of Wi-Fi apps on Google Play Store. The app of the hour is the WiFi Prioritizer app. It’s a free app, which (you guessed it right) lets you prioritize your Wi-Fi network preferences. The app is intelligent enough to scan the networks and see whether your preferred network are broadcasting. If not, it’ll switch to the other preferred network. Let’s see how this Android app works.
Step 1: Choose the Priority of the Network
Once you open the WiFi Prioritizer app, toggle the Enable Scheduled Job switch to On. The Access Point list contains all your saved Wi-Fi networks. Here, you’d have to set the priority of the networks. Start off by dragging your preferred connections to the top.
Step 2: Set the Refresh Interval
Once done, it’s time to set the refresh interval for the job. By default, the refresh rate is set at 60 seconds. However, you can modify the settings if you want. Tap on the three-dot menu at the upper-right corner and hit Settings. Here, choose Refresh Interval and pick the right option from the list. We’d recommend you not to choose the smaller values since the higher refresh rate may affect battery life.
Step 3: Pick the Threshold for Signal Strength
Having done that, head over to the Signal Strength to Connect option. This option lets you choose a particular value as a threshold. If the app finds a saved-network, which has a better signal strength, it would make the switchover. Similarly, you can also set the value for Signal Strength to Disconnect.
Impact to Battery and Performance
Android has a built-in Wi-Fi scanning feature, which looks for Wi-Fi hotspots around you when it’s enabled. That’s the reason you can connect almost instantaneously to saved Wi-Fi networks around you. The WiFi Prioritizer app works similarly to the above (when the refresh interval isn’t too high). It just makes sure that if there are two known Wi-Fi SSIDs around, it’ll disconnect from the one with the lower priority. This makes sure that extra battery juice isn’t used and the switch between the networks is seamless. I have been using this app for some time now, and haven’t seen any noticeable drop in my phone’s battery life.
Get, Set, Go!
So, this is how you can automate the process of choosing the preferred Wi-Fi connection on your Android phone. Initially, it would need a little tweaking on your side to have the best combination, and in no time, your phone will know which connection is the best. On the days when you don’t need it, simply toggle the Enabled Scheduled Job switch to off. Simple, right?
